What did you watch this week in classic TV on DVD(or Blu)? (1 Viewer)

[BobO'Link]

A 175-page book for each season?! That will make plenty of interesting reading material!

Yes! S1 is 175, S2 is 170, S3 is 174, and S4 is 168.

They are the size of a BR case with sturdy, glossy, pages. Absolutely zero images - all text. The early chapters are the history of the season, with the history in S1 also including brief bios and how they all came together, with roughly the last half the book dedicated to a discussion about each episode. Those episode texts are detailed descriptions including information about songs used, references, and more. They are very informative. The set is almost worth the price for the books alone. When you throw in the excellent remaster job for the series and consider all episodes were restored to as close to original form as possible it's a great value.

I somewhat agonized about the price, originally having a ~$125 (total w/tax) order from Amazon. Target then had a B2G1 free sale and the Python set was included. I added the new Abbott and Costello movie set (another excellent BR upgrade) and with a bit of manipulation got the price down to $91 shipped w/tax (for each set that is). I'm more than happy with that - even with a box that's practically destroyed (all internal support cross bits and 3 corners of the lid are ripped). I might be able to repair it but it's going into storage anyway. It's a very attractive box and has sides that drop down when the lid is removed but it's also quite large and won't fit on the shelves.

I'm so impressed with the remaster job that I've been watching every episode twice. One time for the skits and another just to look at the video and marvel at how clear and clean it all is.

I have a single complaint about the episode authoring. They have only 3 chapter stops. One is *before* the episode starts so you skip back to see the 30 second run down clock used for the studio recording session, one is at the real episode start, and the last is roughly half way through the episode. I truly wish they'd have put one at the start of each skit as was done with the DVDs. It's really just a minor inconvenience if you only want to see one sketch. I rarely do that so it's no big deal - just a little thing that could, and should, have been done.

The studio run down clock that precedes every episode:

If you are a Python fan you should get this show on BR. As all 4 seasons are supposed to be released individually it might be worth waiting to see if the individual season prices will be a bit better than the box (so far the UK sets will come in a few £ less). If the UK releases are indications it'll also be released in 2 versions. One in standard BR viva cases with just the discs and another that's the digipak sets which include the books. Again, using the UK as a reference, the viva case version is ~£8 less than the digipak. The book is well worth the price difference - if you're a reader and like that sort of thing.

One thing to watch out for is that the US releases are 60i and the UK ones are 50i. My set just indicates 1080i for regions A/B/C on the box with no NTSC/PAL or 50i/60i information. This is somewhat confusing as I've always been under the impression that NTSC/PAL only refers to analog SD product and that all BR/HD product is compatible with either format with the player simply outputting the appropriate signal for the connected equipment. I've purchased lots of region free BR product and have never had an issue. Looks like I have some researching to do...

 

[BobO'Link]

Great stuff, Russ! Glad to see you back to your old tricks. Perhaps for 2020, one of my archive TV watching goals will be to actually watch an episode of Gilligan's Island for the first time in 30 years...even as a kid, I thought it was a pretty dumb show. Of course (me being a TV junkie), that didn't stop me watching every episode multiple times.

When in college Gilligan's Island ran every day in syndication. At a time when I was not in class. With nothing but game shows and soaps opposite. Not being a fan of game shows or soaps I watched Gilligan and somewhat developed a soft spot for it. Even so, I agonized about purchasing it when it came out on DVD but finally caved. I was surprised to find I enjoy it on a completely different level than back then. Yeah, it's rather dumb but it's a fun dumb. It's in that category of show that I'd rather watch than most of what's offered today as comedy.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Yes! S1 is 175, S2 is 170, S3 is 174, and S4 is 168.

They are the size of a BR case with sturdy, glossy, pages. Absolutely zero images - all text. The early chapters are the history of the season, with the history in S1 also including brief bios and how they all came together, with roughly the last half the book dedicated to a discussion about each episode. Those episode texts are detailed descriptions including information about songs used, references, and more. They are very informative. The set is almost worth the price for the books alone. When you throw in the excellent remaster job for the series and consider all episodes were restored to as close to original form as possible it's a great value.

I somewhat agonized about the price, originally having a ~$125 (total w/tax) order from Amazon. Target then had a B2G1 free sale and the Python set was included. I added the new Abbott and Costello movie set (another excellent BR upgrade) and with a bit of manipulation got the price down to $91 shipped w/tax (for each set that is). I'm more than happy with that - even with a box that's practically destroyed (all internal support cross bits and 3 corners of the lid are ripped). I might be able to repair it but it's going into storage anyway. It's a very attractive box and has sides that drop down when the lid is removed but it's also quite large and won't fit on the shelves.

I'm so impressed with the remaster job that I've been watching every episode twice. One time for the skits and another just to look at the video and marvel at how clear and clean it all is.

I have a single complaint about the episode authoring. They have only 3 chapter stops. One is *before* the episode starts so you skip back to see the 30 second run down clock used for the studio recording session, one is at the real episode start, and the last is roughly half way through the episode. I truly wish they'd have put one at the start of each skit as was done with the DVDs. It's really just a minor inconvenience if you only want to see one sketch. I rarely do that so it's no big deal - just a little thing that could, and should, have been done.

The studio run down clock that precedes every episode:

If you are a Python fan you should get this show on BR. As all 4 seasons are supposed to be released individually it might be worth waiting to see if the individual season prices will be a bit better than the box (so far the UK sets will come in a few £ less). If the UK releases are indications it'll also be released in 2 versions. One in standard BR viva cases with just the discs and another that's the digipak sets which include the books. Again, using the UK as a reference, the viva case version is ~£8 less than the digipak. The book is well worth the price difference - if you're a reader and like that sort of thing.

One thing to watch out for is that the US releases are 60i and the UK ones are 50i. My set just indicates 1080i for regions A/B/C on the box with no NTSC/PAL or 50i/60i information. This is somewhat confusing as I've always been under the impression that NTSC/PAL only refers to analog SD product and that all BR/HD product is compatible with either format with the player simply outputting the appropriate signal for the connected equipment. I've purchased lots of region free BR product and have never had an issue. Looks like I have some researching to do...

It truly sounds like a great set, Howie! Those books are by Andrew Pixley, who specializes in super-detailed production notes for Network and other UK television releases. He always does a very thorough job (and judging from his online comments and conduct, is a very nice chap to boot). Not sure if you're a fan of The Goodies, but Network released a similar giant set on Blu for that series as well last year.

 

[Ron1973]

I'm finding Amazon Prime to be a haven for classic TV.

I watched a Honeymooners Christmas special from 1977. I'm pretty sure it was videotaped, but my goodness, what a beautiful picture! The color was outstanding and just popped out. I don't remember being a fan of the show before, but I'm now inclined to watch some of the original to see how I like it. I also watched Christmas specials of Abbott and Costello along with Red Skelton. Red had me laughing like I haven't laughed in I don't know when.

Last night I watched over an hour's worth of classic commercials. Watching the cigarette commercials is something else. I knew a few shows plugged them, but it seemed like everybody and their brother was hawking smokes in the day.

It's not specifically TV, but I did watch G.I. Blues streaming on Amazon. My goodness, can they not get aspect ratios right? Every TV show is the correct ratio, 4x3. I have caught ONE movie that was correct, Your Cheatin' Heart with George Hamilton. Elvis was pan and scan. I will say something positive, however. In the soundtrack, they have added in the stereo mixes of his songs that were recorded in studio. Other ones that weren't studio recordings had a slight ambiance to them that you could hear in the rear speakers on my home theater system. Very, very tastefully done, not like the fake stereo that plagued his early RCA recordings that had a weird echo added to them on "Elvis' Golden Records."

 

[BobO'Link]

Last night I watched over an hour's worth of classic commercials. Watching the cigarette commercials is something else. I knew a few shows plugged them, but it seemed like everybody and their brother was hawking smokes in the day.

My grandkids are always amazed at how many people are shown smoking in 60s and before TV shows and movies. It lessened considerably when the cigarette commercial ban went into effect in January 1971. It blew their minds when I showed them cigarette commercials from the 60s.

 

[Ron1973]

My grandkids are always amazed at how many people are shown smoking in 60s and before TV shows and movies. It lessened considerably when the cigarette commercial ban went into effect in January 1971. It blew their minds when I showed them cigarette commercials from the 60s.

I knew a few shows did like The Beverly Hillbillies, I Love Lucy, and even The Flinstones. I think 2/3 of it had to be commercials for Camel and Winston. The one commercial that will stick with me was Jack Benny doing a commercial for a gasoline brand. He tells the attendant he knows he's Dennis Day and wonders why he's dressed up in an attendant's uniform. Jack asks for a gallon of gasoline. After getting it, the attendant thanks him by calling him Mr. Benny. Jack wants to know how he knows who he is if he isn't Dennis Day. The attendant reminded him that he was the only person in the world who would ask for ONE gallon of gasoline! I loved how they always played up Jack's supposed stinginess in every role he was in.

 

[JohnHopper]

¶
¶ I’m currently watching and working on the second disc of season 16 from Gunsmoke.
¶ The first disc was very good, by the way.
¶
​

 

[BobO'Link]

I knew a few shows did like The Beverly Hillbillies, I Love Lucy, and even The Flinstones. I think 2/3 of it had to be commercials for Camel and Winston. The one commercial that will stick with me was Jack Benny doing a commercial for a gasoline brand. He tells the attendant he knows he's Dennis Day and wonders why he's dressed up in an attendant's uniform. Jack asks for a gallon of gasoline. After getting it, the attendant thanks him by calling him Mr. Benny. Jack wants to know how he knows who he is if he isn't Dennis Day. The attendant reminded him that he was the only person in the world who would ask for ONE gallon of gasoline! I loved how they always played up Jack's supposed stinginess in every role he was in.

The Dick Van Dyke Show too. Dick and other cast members hawked Kent cigarettes in commercial breaks (some are in the BR set). All westerns had cigarette commercials - basically about 1/3 of prime time commercial matter was for cigarette products.

The Jack Benny Show is another that's woefully underrepresented on disc!

 

[Jeff Flugel]

My last viewings as 2019 draws to a close (all via YouTube, as I'm away at the in-laws):

The New Adventures of Charlie Chan - 1.11 "The Final Curtain"
While J. Carroll Naish is no Warner Oland, this was a decent little mystery, helped along by being set and filmed in the UK. Good to see a young James Hong as Number One Son, Barry, "helping" Pop solve the case. Also with Rupert Davies, who would go on to star as Inspector Maigret a few years after his appearance here.

Dangerous Assignment - 1.8 "The Salami Story"
Taciturn Brian Donlevy stars as US special agent Steve Mitchell in this early '50s adventure series. This one's set on a train, one of my favorite locales for a mystery story. When the head of a plastics company is murdered en route to a conference, and his secret formula stolen, Mitchell goes undercover as a passenger to track down the killer. Dan Seymour chews some scenery (and salami) as one of the suspects. Also with Jim Davis (of Dallas fame), so young as to be virtually unrecognizable, and Elena Verdugo.

Naked City - 1.31 "Four Sweet Corners"
The main detectives are essentially guest stars in their own show, as the spotlight is given to George Maharis as a soldier who returns home (along with his buddy Linc, played by Robert Morris) to find his younger sister is involved with a shoplifting ring. Maharis and his scrappy pal end up wiping the bar room floor with the head of the ring (Frank Sutton) and his three thugs. This was apparently a dry-run for Route 66, with Morris intended to co-star until his untimely death led to the casting of Martin Milner.

Cribb
1.2 "Swing, Swing Together"
1.8 "A Case of Spirits"
One of the first series chosen to open PBS' long-running Mystery!, this excellent adaptation of Peter Lovesey's Victorian-era detective novels follows the investigations of clever, dogged Sgt. Cribb (Alan Dobie) and his put-upon assistant, Constable Thackeray (William Simons). Lots of humor, thick atmosphere and historical detail. "Swing, Swing Together" in particular is a heady stew, combining murder, romance, Jack the Ripper and the nation's obsession with boating upon the Thames after the publication of Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat. "A Case of Spirits" revolves around the murder of a medium at an aristocratic gathering of spiritualists, and is graced with an ingenious murder method. Yet another terrific mystery series from the UK. Both Region 1 and 2 DVD sets are out-of-print, but thankfully all episodes are available on YT, in nice-looking transfers.

The Prisoner 1.1 "Arrival"
Not much new to say about this iconic, super-stylish study in sci-fi, espionage and paranoia, other than this opening episode remains, even after multiple viewings, a visually arresting and gripping hour of television. Personally, I'm of the view that the series goes off the rails in the final stretch, but these early episodes are top of the line, imaginative stuff...and Patrick McGoohan is magnetic, bristling with anger and intensity, pacing like a tiger in a cage as he tries every trick in the book to outwit his captors and escape the Village.

Arthur of the Britons 1.1 "Arthur is Dead"
High-energy swashbuckling, as charismatic Oliver Tobias, in a very different, earthy take on King Arthur, tries to rally several warring factions of Celts to band together to fight the invading Saxon hordes, led by Cerdig (Rupert Davies, again). Lots of outdoor location shooting, horse riding, sword fighting and Medieval speechifying, topped by a fine cast of British thesps, including Michael Gothard, Jack Watson, Brian Blessed (sporting massive biceps) and Tom Chadbon. Another strong early '70s effort from HTV, spanning two series and 24 episodes.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Well, it's midnight on New Year's Eve here in Japan, a time to reflect on the past 12 months of archive television viewing, and I just wanted to thank all the contributors to this thread, both frequent and occasional, for making this such a lively, fun, informative and above all friendly place to hang out on the all-too-often contentious internet. This thread has given a real boost to my classic TV watching. This past year, I managed a personal record of viewing 300 hours of classic TV, spanning 215 shows, many of them first-time viewings inspired by comments from other members here. It's been a real treat, reading everyone's thoughts, reviews and commentary about this fun little hobby of ours. Shout outs and thanks to the following members (and apologies to anyone I might have left off this list):

Russ (funniest post writing MVP)
Howie
Randall
John Hopper
Doug
Ben Masters
Peter M. Fitzgerald
Marv
Steve (morasp)
Ron1973
Tim (MontyTC)
Ben (ClassicTVMan1981X)
Alan (Purple Wig)
Harold (Jasper70)
Jack P
Dan McW
Glenn (GM Burns)
Bob Gu
Bert Greene
Sean (Darby67)
Bryan H
John Wells
John Sparks
Robert R.
Robert (The Obsolete Man)
Erich
Brian Camp
Susan
Scott RE
mark-edk
PMF
Martin P
James Perry
Matthew A
Ethan Riley
Scott511
Terry (TJPC)
Bob_S
LouA
albert_m2
Sky King
Robert (rjd0309)
Dana Martin
Steve Smith
Chris Cook
Dave Jessup
Vapor Trail
Rick Bond
ChrisALM
Walter Kittel
Matinee Nostalgia
Kirsten Brad
Ian K. McLennan
Dave Scarpa
and veteran HTF TV on DVD guru, Gary OS

Thanks to you fine gentlemen (and lady), this thread saw a real explosion in interest and activity this past year, with over 2,100 posts and 106 pages of new content in 2019 alone. Wishing all of you a happy, prosperous and healthy New Year, hopefully filled with plenty of enjoyable vintage TV watching. Roll on 2020!

 

[JohnHopper]

The Prisoner 1.1 "Arrival"
Not much new to say about this iconic, super-stylish study in sci-fi, espionage and paranoia, other than this opening episode remains, even after multiple viewings, a visually arresting and gripping hour of television. Personally, I'm of the view that the series goes off the rails in the final stretch, but these early episodes are top of the line, imaginative stuff...and Patrick McGoohan is magnetic, bristling with anger and intensity, pacing like a tiger in a cage as he tries every trick in the book to outwit his captors and escape the Village.

¶
¶ This is the avant garde masterpiece of Sixties television.
¶ What shall we do with a drunken sailor?
¶​

 

[Purple Wig]

Bradford is so good in Man in a Suitcase...pity his career never really took off as it should. Will look forward to his appearance in The High Chaparral.

All of his early 70’s guest shots are worth checking out, probably gets the most screen time in the Kojak and Mannix episodes, Apple’s Way is a more nuanced character, Waltons I remember being good but they didn’t give him a lot to work with.

 

[Purple Wig]

A week of down time with relatives for the holidays has been good for catching assorted episodes of Gunsmoke (on multiple channels, eras ranging from 30 min b/w to 60 min color), Big Valley, Dragnet, Adam 12, High Chaparral, Wanted: Dead or Alive....fun but the Jack Webb productions remind me that sadly the Los Angeles I will soon be returning to bears less of a resemblance each passing day to the milieu depicted. Still a dose of “Blue Boy” cures most ills.

 

[JohnHopper]

¶
¶ I’m currently watching and working on the third disc of season 16 from Gunsmoke.
¶
¶​

 

[Flashgear]

I've been slumming with some '70s TV shows...S.W.A.T. being one of them...not a bad show at all, actually, with a likable cast (Steve Forrest, Robert Uhrich, Rose Marie (!) et al), good action and stunts, familiar and welcome guest stars to vouch for it...but it probably only exists in my collection because Mill Creek released the whole series in one very cheap 6 disc release...this show undoubtedly arose in the Spelling/Goldberg minds because of the hugely publicized gun battle between the LAPD with their SWAT section and the SLA ("Symbionese Liberation Army") thug terrorists during the whole grotesque Patty Hearst "kidnapping" affair in 1974-75...the epic shootout was carried live on network TV as it developed on May 17, 1974...for me, who was a senior in high school, that was the first time I ever heard the acronym SWAT (for special weapons and tactics, of course)...in the aftermath of the shootout, just about every police force in North America began to form SWAT squads...in my hometown they were up and running for our own big shootout (well, big for our formerly peaceful city) in 1975...

Well, that's the background to this post, but the real motivating reason is my discovery therein of a stunning and drop dead gorgeous young Susan Sullivan, who went on to a very successful career on shows like Falcon Crest, Castle, and most recently The Kominsky Method...

I humbly submit these screen caps for analysis by my fellow aficionados of prodigious pulchritude...in pursuit of further research, ha, ha...

SWAT S2E6, The Vendetta, (Oct. 11, 1975)...behold...

Oh, yea, there's also the matter of Paul Mantee and Aldo Ray sniping at Steve Forrest while he runs like a jackrabbit from end zone to midfield at the Rose Bowl...

 

[JohnHopper]

¶
¶ This is the avant garde masterpiece of Sixties television.
¶ What shall we do with a drunken sailor?
¶​

The Prisoner: Season 1 Episode 1 - Arrival (Full Episode)

Be seeing you!
​

 

[BobO'Link]

I've been slumming with some '70s TV shows...S.W.A.T. being one of them...not a bad show at all, actually, with a likable cast (Steve Forrest, Robert Uhrich, Rose Marie (!) et al), good action and stunts, familiar and welcome guest stars to vouch for it...but it probably only exists in my collection because Mill Creek released the whole series in one very cheap 6 disc release...this show undoubtedly arose in the Spelling/Goldberg minds because of the hugely publicized gun battle between the LAPD with their SWAT section and the SLA ("Symbionese Liberation Army") thug terrorists during the whole grotesque Patty Hearst "kidnapping" affair in 1974-75...the epic shootout was carried live on network TV as it developed on May 17, 1974...for me, who was a senior in high school, that was the first time I ever heard the acronym SWAT (for special weapons and tactics, of course)...in the aftermath of the shootout, just about every police force in North America began to form SWAT squads...in my hometown they were up and running for our own big shootout (well, big for our formerly peaceful city) in 1975...

Well, that's the background to this post, but the real motivating reason is my discovery therein of a stunning and drop dead gorgeous young Susan Sullivan, who went on to a very successful career on shows like Falcon Crest, Castle, and most recently The Kominsky Method...

I humbly submit these screen caps for analysis by my fellow aficionados of prodigious pulchritude...in pursuit of further research, ha, ha...

SWAT S2E6, The Vendetta, (Oct. 11, 1975)...behold...
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Oh, yea, there's also the matter of Paul Mantee and Aldo Ray sniping at Steve Forrest while he runs like a jackrabbit from end zone to midfield at the Rose Bowl...
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I watched Falcon Crest with my wife simply because Susan Sullivan was on the show.

I was thrilled when she turned up on Dharma and Greg.

Susan Sullivan and Mitchell Ryan

 

[JohnHopper]

The Prisoner 1.1 "Arrival"
Not much new to say about this iconic, super-stylish study in sci-fi, espionage and paranoia, other than this opening episode remains, even after multiple viewings, a visually arresting and gripping hour of television. Personally, I'm of the view that the series goes off the rails in the final stretch, but these early episodes are top of the line, imaginative stuff...and Patrick McGoohan is magnetic, bristling with anger and intensity, pacing like a tiger in a cage as he tries every trick in the book to outwit his captors and escape the Village.

Find my review of that masterpiece.

E01 • Arrival

Review • Interpretation

The story has a strong insular leaning that leads to the theme of isolation because the leading character is trapped friendless on an island and explores it. We get a glimpse of the concept of ‘globalism’ throughout the allegory of the prison known as the Village: see the work of Marshall McLuhan about the “global village” as a frame of reference but transposed into the context of the series. One symbol speaks for itself when number 6 crosses the Village and stops to stare at the bronze statue of Hercules supporting the terrestrial globe for Titan god Atlas. The Village is a kind of Saint Michael’s Mount in Normandy. The pilot is divided in two separate parts because of the two number 2:

1. first number 6 awakes in the replica of his home, discovers the Village and is stopped by the watchdog balloon named Rover. (the first 30 minutes)
2. then number 6 awakes again but at the hospital, meets a fellow British agent named Cobb, is given new clothes and is stopped by helicopter. (the last 20 minutes)​

The exchanges between number 6 and the local female cab driver explain the nature of the Village: “French is international”, “It’s very cosmopolitan, you never know who you will meet next”. For the anecdote, up until the XIXth century, French was the international language for diplomacy. The shopkeeper at the general stores also demonstrates his foreign languages ability. But later in the episode, both the new number 2 and agent Cobb speak foreign languages to say goodbye: the first one exclaims “Au revoir” and the other replies “Auf wiedersehen”. Since it’s an ‘open-air’ prison, there is no map outside the confinement of the Village and number 6 realizes it at the general stores. The Village is a local place populated with foreigners all speaking English: in short, the English “weltanschauung” as the world culture—see the world reshaping paradigms developed in geographer Halford J. Mackinder’s “Heartland Theory”, George Orwell’s geopolitical novel 1984 and US government advisor Zbigniew Brzeziński’s geostrategical essay The Grand Chessboard.

The global village is at once as wide as the planet and as small as the little town where everybody is maliciously engaged at poking his nose into everybody else’s business. The global village is not a world of harmony but of extreme concern with everybody else’s business and much involvement in everybody else’s life. It’s a sort of Ann Landers column. It doesn’t necessarily mean harmony and peace and quiet but it does mean huge involvement in everybody else’s affairs. So the global village is as big as a planet and as small as the village post office.
—Marshall McLuhan about the concept of the “global village”.​

The office of number 2 at the green dome is a bare industrial set filled with technological and automated gadgets a la James Bond which creates a huge contrast with the vintage Latin architecture of the Village: the cultural dichotomy desired by Patrick McGoohan. The interior of the green dome is based on the geodesic dome that is also used in the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice. Furthermore, we’re witnessing a ‘constructivist’ architectural concept based on abstraction, geometry and the “tabula rasa” culled from the Bolchevik revolution. Still in the topic of art direction, the aggressive ‘pop’ stripes that wear/carry the Village residents (cape, sweater, umbrella, scarf) as well as the whole Village decoration (canopy, sign-post) make reference to the pants that wear the militant partisans “sans culottes” during the French revolution—number 6 first appears in a plain dark monochrome suit in a showy multicolored realm. The stripes also are synonymous for prison bars. Number 2 mentions inner politics with a slight ironic smile: “We have our own council, democratically-elected”.

One key scene depicts social control and obedience when the residents freeze at the orders of number 2 so that the watchdog balloon passes but one resident doesn’t and perishes! One scene dealing with personal ideology is crucial: when number 6 is at the ‘constructivist’ labour exchange bureau, he is asked to fill up a private questionnaire and the official eventually asks him his personal political choice so number 6 reacts abruptly by breaking the kid contraption—a series of wood wheels—and leaving on the spot! Find the first maid character sent to make him talk and who recites the Village motto: “A still tongue makes a happy life”. One scene is frankly weird that shows the same technician (first electrician then gardener) in two different places and at the same time. Amongst the residents, you notice a pair of undertakers lost in the crowd. Unlike Plato’s The Republic with the guardians protecting the city, number 6 faces two types of security service that prevent from escaping: a militia of Village residents driving a taxi and the organic balloon Rover.

“I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered… My life is my own.”
—Number 6 to the first number 2.​

The second part of the pilot shows the suicide of the so-called ‘amnesiac’ Cobb off-camera and the moulding of number 6 that wears the standard ‘resident’ clothes or inmate uniform (blazer with a white striped collar, dark blue sweater, beige pants, straw boater hat, badge decorated with a penny-farthing, umbrella, navy blue canvas sneakers)—parts of the official outfit refer to the uniform that McGoohan used to wear as a teenager at school which means the Village residents regress. The hospital is a medieval fortress (tradition) and is depicted as a particularly sinister place that serves as a technological mental institution (modernity) whose set decoration is circular—as the bedroom of number 6, the globular rotative chair of number 2 (the dominating chairman is sat at the center of the room inside the terrestrial globe) and the farewell salute ‘be seeing you’ (a waving gesture consisting of thumb and forefinger forming a circle over the eye: symbol of a security camera lens), by the way—: another reminder of ‘globalism’. You see two psychiatric cases: a group therapy in a magenta room in which patients are straightjacketed in karaté outfits with sleeping eye mask blindfold and headphones and a single screaming bald-headed man looking at a mini Rover.

The phobia of bureaucracy throughout identification and numerology is present when number 6 is given a set of cards (employment card, card of identity, health and welfare card, credit card, numbered badge) at the exit of the hospital that he rejects and throws out at the back of the cab. The concept of ‘globalism’ is also synonymous for surveillance: see the eyes of the statues, the hidden cameras, the geodesic control room (decorated with a map of the village, a world’s map, the constellations), the spinning seesaw surveillance men (a duet of central watchers using a telescope/periscope, seated on opposite ends of the revolving steel seesaw-like Panopticon mechanism), number 2’s geodesic central office and the security balloon called Rover. For the anecdote, the Panopticon is a type of institutional building designed by the English philosopher, founder of modern utilitarianism and social theorist Jeremy Bentham in the late 18th century. At the end, the old chess player has the same number (66) as the maid and encapsulates the concept very well: “We’re all pawns, my dear”.

Questions are a burden to others. Answers a prison for oneself.
—Written on the wall of The Labour Exchange Bureau.​

This is the first attempt to escape from the Village by flying the helicopter of the jailers. The opening main titles is longer than the standard one: see the footages of number 6 entering the underground parking lot and getting his ticket—but doesn’t feature the standard number 2 gimmick introduction. Note that Cobb is the only person with a name in this numbered microcosm. Actor Patrick McGoohan eventually polished the script of Markstein and Tomblin. Director Don Chaffey used to shoot the seminal Danger Man episode “Colony Three”, considered as a proto-Prisoner episode but, here, he was told to stand out from on purpose and set up an off the wall tone as a canon for the whole series including fast-paced editing. Apart from McGoohan, Guy Doleman’s performance is very good and as inspired as the one from The Ipcress File—too bad, we don’t get actor Nigel Green on the series. The first part is stronger but on the whole, it is lavishly produced and belongs to my top episodes list. It’s part of Patrick McGoohan’s seven serials concept.

¶ Means of Escape: taxi, helicopter.

¶ Production Order #1
Shot in September 1966 and Broadcast on September 29, 1967
Written by George Markstein (script editor) and David Tomblin (producer) and directed by Don Chaffey.
Music composed and conducted partly by Robert Farnon and Wilfred Josephs.
Theme music by Ron Grainer.

Categories

• Automation (the cottage of number 6, the green dome, the control room)
• Betrayal and duplicity (Cobb)
• Burial (Cobb)
• Con game (fake suicide)
• Doppelgänger (the technician)
• Gadget (cordless phones, automatic radio set, electro-pass wristwatch)
• Phobia (automation, public music, home music, hospital, identifications)
• Privacy (home)
• Therapy (group therapy against guilts)​

Actor’s Notes

• Featuring actors Virginia Maskell, Paul Eddington, Peter Swanwick and Christopher Benjamin as the Labor Exchange Bureau official.
• Number 2 are actors Guy Doleman and George Baker.
• The agent provocateurs are actress Stephanie Randall as the maid, actor Paul Eddington as the exterior player and actress Virginia Maskell as a Village resident.
• Danger Man guest actress Virginia Maskell appears in “The Colonel’s Daughter”, actor Paul Eddington in “I Am Afraid You Have the Wrong Number”, Peter Swanwick in “The Paper Chase” and Christopher Benjamin in “Koroshi”.
• Actors Peter Swanwick appears once (“Legacy of Death”) and Christopher Benjamin three times (“How to Succeed… At Murder”, “Never, Never Say Die”, “Split!”) on The Avengers.
• Actor Guy Doleman is the recurring character of Colonel Ross on Harry Palmer’s saga (from The Ipcress File to Billion Dollar Brain).​

 

[JohnHopper]

Well, that's the background to this post, but the real motivating reason is my discovery therein of a stunning and drop dead gorgeous young Susan Sullivan, who went on to a very successful career on shows like Falcon Crest, Castle, and most recently The Kominsky Method...

I remembered her in the mini series Rich Man, Poor Man - Book II (1976).

 

[Rustifer]

Well, that's the background to this post, but the real motivating reason is my discovery therein of a stunning and drop dead gorgeous young Susan Sullivan, who went on to a very successful career on shows like Falcon Crest, Castle

Did you ever buy into Susan Sullivan as Castle's (Nathan Fillian) mother? I never did. Especially now, after seeing your screen caps of her in her prime.